Read Acts 2:42
Key Verse: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)
Imagine what it would be like if this coming Sunday, your church had three thousand extra people show up. No doubt it would create all sorts of (good) problems. You probably wouldn’t have enough parking, or places to seat everyone, or space in the children’s ministry. You most definitely would run out of coffee after the service. What would you do with all the extra people? How would you get them connected? How would things change?
This is the situation that the early church was facing following the Apostle Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. A mini revival had broken out as three thousand people put their faith in Jesus Christ and were added to the church. So how did they handle it? While everything had changed that day, in some ways nothing had changed. Regardless of their surge in numbers, the church continued to do what they had been doing in the first place. They persisted in doing what mattered most.
What were the things that mattered most to them? First, they were “devoted to the apostles’ teaching”. The early disciples were committed to sitting regularly under the apostles who instructed them in all that the Scriptures had to say about Jesus the Messiah. Secondly, they were devoted “to the fellowship”. They recognized that following Jesus was not an individual sport, but rather a journey to be lived out in the context of true community. Thirdly, they were devoted “to the breaking of bread”. They continued to enjoy the Lord’s Supper together, just as Christ had instructed them to do, keeping Jesus at the very center of their lives together. Finally, they were devoted “to prayer”. They recognized that though they had very few of their own resources available to them to fulfill the mission, all of the resources of God were available to them as they humbled themselves in prayer.
These four priorities of the early church mirror what our core devotion ought to look like two thousand years later. To follow Jesus means to be people who are deeply devoted to learning the Scriptures, as they reveal to us who God is and what He calls us to do. We are to persist in pursuing Christ-centered relationships, even when it’s messy and hard. We are to be a community that in everything we do seeks to keep Jesus at the center. Finally, we are to be a community deeply devoted to prayer. There is nothing we can do on our own. In all things, in every way, we need God’s Spirit to direct and empower us as we seek to fulfill Christ’s mission.
How can you continue to grow in your devotion to the Lord in this way today?
Prayer: Jesus, help me today to keep you at the center of my life. May your Word dwell in me richly. May I lean in more to your community. And may prayer be the pathway of power for me as I seek to fulfill the mission you’ve given to me. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
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